Defoamer for bottling machines



July 22, 1952 E, R. ANDRE DEFOAMER FOR BOTTLING MACHINES 2 SHEETSSHEET 1Filed March 3, 1948 Nvarufiro (S ugene -Q. cflndme.

M a M w w y 22, 9 E. R. ANDRE 2,604,247

DEFGAMER FOR BOTTLING MACHINES Filed March 3, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2Patented July 22, 1952,

DEFOAMER FOR BOTTLING MACHINES Eugene R. Andre, Detroit, Mich., assignorto Ex-Cell-O Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of MichiganApplication March 3, 1948, Serial No. 12,815

9 Claims. (Cl. 226-68) The present invention relates to defoamers andmore particularly to a device for removing foam from milk in a highproduction carton or bottle filling machine.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improveddefoamer utilizing vacuum for quickly and positively removing the headof foam from a carton of milk. It is a more detailed object to provide adevice of the foregoing type which applies a displacing pressure to thefoam, the pressure and vacuum cooperating in a novel manner to effectsubstantially instantaneous and complete removal.

It is another object to provide a defoamer for use with cartons havingclosure flaps in which steam is employed as a foam displacing agent andwhich is so constructed that the steam is of increased efiectiveness insoftening up the flaps preparatory to closing and sealing them.

It is a further object to provide a defoaming head for flap-type cartonswhich not only encloses the top of the carton during the defoamingoperaticn, but which is constructed to cooperate with the flaps toautomatically guide the carton into proper position in the defoamingstation.

It is still another object to provide a defoamer which may bequickly'and easily installed on new or existing bottling machineswithout any substantial modification thereof, which is simple andstraightforward of construction, and which may be easily dismantled forpurposes of cleaning and sterilization.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent form thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the defoaming set up showing theapparatus in relation to the moving cartons of milk in a bottlingmachine.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view in elevation of the defoaming head taken along22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the steam nozzle block.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the defoaming head taken alonglines 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows a transverse section of the defoaming head and taken alonglines 5--5 of Fig. 4. This figure brings out the arrangement of steamand vacuum passages.

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the defoaming head as it is presented to thetops of the successive cartons.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the separator disclosed inFig. 1.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative constructions and uses, I have shown in the drawings andwill herein describe in detail one embodiment of the invention. It is tobe understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the invention bysuch disclosure, but aim to cover all modifications and alternativeconstructions and uses falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

In order to meet production schedules it is necessaryin modern types ofbottling machines to fill the cartons at a rate which causesconsiderable turbulence and the consequent formation of a head of thickfoam. Such foam, when forced out of the carton during the closingoperation, not only interferes with the closing and heat sealing of thecarton, but in addition, makes it difiicult to keep the cartons andbottling machine clean and sanitary. In the past steam has been employedto alleviate foam difficulties but prior devices have not enabledcomplete removal of the foam efilciently and at a rate sufficient tokeep up with high speed filling machines.

Referringto Figure 1, the improved defoamer indicated generally at H] isseen in plan view applied to a bottling machine having a conveyor l lconveying spaced cartons of milk l2, l3 and [4. These cartons areassumed to be travelling to the left as viewed in this figure, thecentral carton is being located at the defoaming station l6. Prior toarrival at the defoaming station the cartons are filled from a milkreservoir at a rate which is sufficient to cause turbulence and theformation of foam in the upper portion of the carton as indicated at I8(Fig. 4).

Positioned immediately above the cartons in their path of movement is adefoaming head [9 Which is disclosed in Figs. 2 and 4. This headincludes a frame 20 and a head member 2|, the two being fastenedtogether as a rigid unit when the defoaming head is in normal use. Theframe 20 is supported on the bottling machine by any desired means, forexample, a cross member or bracket 22 to which it may be bolted by-adepending plate 24.

In carrying out the invention the head member 2| includes a flapseparating and orienting portion in the form of a tapered shoe 25 whichis pointed in the direction of the carton source. Preferably the portion25 flares smoothly into the side walls 25, 28'of the head member, thelatter being'spaced apart a distance which is slightly less than thenormal spacing of the flap on the milk carton. As shown in Fig. 2 suchflaps include a tuck in fiap 29 and a bend over flap 3B, which extendabove the triangularly creased side panels 3|, 32. It will be apparentthen that as the carton I3 is moved by the conveyor ll both of the flaps29, 39 will be guided along the edges of the head member 2! and thecartons will be bodily positioned preparatory to removing the foam. I

In practicing the invention in one of its aspects the head member 2|includes downwardly projecting passages 3 35 having orifices 34a, 35arespectively which are elongated and which exend along the oppositeedges of the milk-carton I3. These passages lead to a suction pipe 36, aflange 38 on such suction pipe forming an airtight connection with thehead member 2|.

Turning now to the source of vacuum for the passages 34, 35, it will beseen that the suction pipe leads to a separator ill (Figs 1 and '7). Theseparator may, if desired, consist of a conventional mill; can havingconnections made to the top thereof for the suction pipe 36 and anevacuating hose 1-! leading to an'exhauster. In the present'instance Iprefer to use a centrifugal exhauster 42 driven by a motor 44, thedegree of vacuum produced in the evacuating hose being regulated bymeans of a manually adjustable damper 45.

With regard to the operation of the device thus far described, a cartonl3 filled almost to the top with milk and the remainder with foam l8moves into the space directly under the head member 21. The latter is soconstructed and positioned so that the space 46 is just sufiicient forclearance and the carton top is effectively closed ofi. Under suchcircumstances, applying a relatively large head of vacuum at theorifices 35a, 35a produces a sharp drop in the pressure in the topportion of the carton thereby expanding the gas bubbles of which thefoam is composed. Upon expansion such gas bubbles occupy many times thevolume that they do at atmospheric pressure and, consequently, the foamexpands into the passages 3 35 and into the suction pipe 35. The latter,in cooperation with the piston-like action of the induced air flowcauses the foam to be deposited in the separator 40. In the separatorfurther expansion takes place, the bubbles breaking to produce solidmilk which collects in the bottom of the can, and the air formerlyentrained in the bubbles is conveyed through the evacuating hose 4| andthrough the exhauster. This action alone has been found to remove agreat deal of the foam entrapped in the upper part of the cartonsenabling the latter to be closed without squeezing the foam out over themachine and carton.

In accordance with a more detailed aspect of the invention means areprovided for admitting pressure fluid into the top of the carton at apoint adjacent to the suction orifices. In this way the foam in additionto expanding through the orifices 34, 35 and being removed by inductionis positively forced to a point adjacent the suction orifices and intosuch orifices thereby enabling removal to be more complete. I have foundthat steam, under pressure, performs very effectively, in cooperationwith the vacuum means, to remove the foam. In order to admit steam intothe head member 2!, the latter is preferably channelled out as at 43(Figs. 5 and 6) to provide a recess in which a nozzle block 39 ismounted. As shown in the detailed view of Fig. 3 the nozzle block 49 hasa plurality of vents 56. The latter projects downwardly approximately tothe plane of the vacuum orifices, although and an electrical connection56.

some variation in the latter dimension is permissible. The nozzle blockis preferably stationarily mounted in the frame 29 by a threadedconnection or the like leading to a steam line 5!.

The foam may be ejected even more rapidly by causing the steam to beadmitted through the line 5| in puffs synchronized with the movement of.the carton [3 rather than continuously. To this end a normally closedsolenoid valve 54 is in series with the line 5|. Preferably the solenoid54 is instantaneously operated as an incident to the carton moving intothe defoaming station, for example by means of a limit switch The lengthor duration-of the puffs may, of course, be made adjustable either bymodification of the solenoid valve 54 or by means interposed in the line56, which will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

The action of the steam in removing foam may be observed with referenceto Fig. 2 in which the approximatelines of steam flow are indicated at6|]. These lines proceed vertically downward dividing at approximatelythe surface of the liquid to flow reversely toward the vacuum orifices34a, 35a. It will be apparent then that the puff of steam is effectiveto sweep the foam generally along the 'lines 50 and directly into theregion of the greatest vacuum. The flow is turbulent and a certainamount of scavenging results. Since the steam is at a high temperaturethe air in the bubbles is expanded to an even greater degree than occurswith vacuum alone. Tests have shown that the combination of vacuum andsteam removal disclosed above removes the foam more completely than anyprior art method known to the present inventor.

An additional advantage derived by the use of the steam jet is to softenthe wax or paraffin with which the carton is impregnated'thus enablingthe successive inwardly folding operation to be performed without dangerof cracking the impregnant and spoiling the seal. Due to the flow ofsteam in the approximate path (Fig. 2) caused by the applicants improvedconstruction, all four walls of the box-like space above the milk areuniformly heated. Because the foam is more completely evacuated by theinitial portion of the admitted steam, the insulating effect resultingfrom residual foam is eliminated, and the steam is enabled to circulatethe walls of the carton evenly and directly. Since the puff of steam isnormally of short duration the steam may be considerably hotter than ispossible if the steam were flowing continuously. Also, the amount ofheating effect desired may be precisely controlled by merely varying theduration of the puff, the pressure of the steam, or the size of thenozzles 50.

In accordance with one of the more detailed structural aspects of theinvention, it will be noted that the present construction facilitatesremoval of the defoaming head member 2| for purposes of cleaning andsterilization and also for enabling access to the nozzle block 49contained therein. In the present instance this is accomplished byincluding on the head member 2| lateral extensions or wings 62 and byforming the frame 2!) into a horizontal U formation, the sides 64, 65 ofthe U extending forwardly to serve as shelves for the wings 52. Thisenables the head member 2! to be slid into place reducing the work ofdismantling to a minimum. Provision is also made for clamping the headmember 2| into place under the flange 38 on the suction pipe 36.Conveniently, this may be effected by studs which extend upwardly fromthe frame 20 and which carry Wing-nuts 66 or the like at the outer endsthereof.

In view of the foregoing-it will be seen-that novel and efficient meansare provided for not only guiding the cartons into a defoaming stationbut for removing the foam so quickly that the carton need not pause inits path of movement. The apparatus is therefore ideally suited forapplication for, already installed bottling machines wherein thecontainers are moved either intermittently or continuously. It will beapparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is by no meanslimited by the particular type of container shown but is obviouslyapplicable to other similar types of containers presenting an open mouthin which the space above the liquid is covered with foam.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a defoaming device for removing foam from milk or the like andadapted for attachment to a bottling machine in which the containers areprogressively moved into a defoaming station, the combination comprisinga defoaming head, said head including vacuum and pressure aperturestogether with means for applying vacuum and pressure thereto, saidapertures being so positioned with respect to one another that the fluidfrom the pressure aperture causes displacement of the foam into theregion of the vacuum aperture, and means actuated as an incident to thearrival of a container under said defoaming head for initiating a puffof pressure fluid.

2. In a defoaming device for removing milk foam from the tops of cartonsof the type having upstanding closure flaps thereon and in which thecartons are transported by a conveyor during the filling process, thecombination comprising a defoaming head said head being constructed tosubstantially enclose the tops of successive ones of said cartons, saidhead including vacuum apertures extending along the sides thereof andconnected to a source of vacuum, said apertures serving to reduce thepressure in the enclosed tops of the containers and thus cause expansionof the foam through said apertures, and means for applying hightemperature steam to said foam to increase the degree of foam expansion.

3. In a defoaming device for removing foam from the tops of successivefibreboard cartons having walls and sealing flaps impregnated withparafiin or the like, the combination comprising a defoaming headadapted for positioning above successive ones of said cartons, said headincluding a row of steam orifices directed downwardly toward said foam,means for withdrawing the foam displaced by the steam emitted from theorifices, said orifices being distributed in said defoaming head so thatthe flaps on said cartons are subjected to a uniform blast of steam asan incident to removing the foam, said steam being of sufiicient hightemperature to soften said flaps and prevent cracking of the impregnantupon immediately successive folding thereof.

4. In a defoaming device for removing foam from the tops of successivefibreboard cartons having walls and sealing flaps of materialimpregnated with wax or the like, the combination comprising a defoaminghead adapted for positioning above successive ones of said cartons, saidhead including a row of alined steam orifices directed downwardly towardsaid foam centrally within said head, means for withdrawing the foamdisplaced by the steam emitted from the orifices, said orifices beingdistributed in said defoaming head so that the flaps on said cartons aresubjected to a uniform blast of steam as an incident to removing thefoam, said steam being of sufficiently high" temperature to soften saidflaps and prevent cracking of the impregnant upon immediately successivefolding thereof.

5. In a defoaming device for removing foam from the tops of milk cartonshaving flaps thereon adapted to be separated for purposes of filling butto be bent inwardly to close the carton, the combination comprising adefoaming head, said head including means for pneumatically removing thefoam from the top of the milk, said defoaming head including a pointedshoe directed upstream with respect to the direction of movement of saidcartons and positioned to wedge apart said flaps as an incident to acarton being advanced to a position under said head.

6. In a defoaming device for removing foam from the tops of milk cartonshaving flaps thereon adapted to be separated for purposes of filling butto be bent inwardly to close the carton, the combination comprising adefoaming head, said head including a head member positioned to projectdownwardly between said flaps and having a downwardly directed vacuumorifice for pneumatically removing the foam from the top of the milk, ahorizontally U-shaped supporting frame, said head member includinglaterally extending wings for engaging the opposed legs of said U-shaped frame, and means for clamping said wings on said frame forretaining said head member in position while permitting easy intentionalremoval thereof for purposes of cleaning.

7. In a defoaming device for removing foam from the tops of partiallyfilled milk cartons as the latter are conveyed in a bottling machine, ahead including elongated vacuum apertures spaced to lie above the cartonwithin the confines of the lateral edges thereof, an elongated source ofsteam longitudinally arranged midway between said vacuum apertures, saidsource of steam including one or more downwardly directed nozzles sothat the steam is directed downwardly toward the surface of the milkrebounding upwardly in a U-shaped path to carry the entrapped foam intothe region of the elongated vacuum orifices.

8. In a defoaming device for removing foam from the tops of cartonspartially filled with milk as such cartons are continuously advanced ina bottling machine, the combination comprising a defoaming head, saidhead being constructed and arranged so as to substantially enclose thetops of said cartons as the same are advanced through the machine, saidhead including continuously operating vacuum means for withdrawing saidfoam, and means for applying a sudden puff of steam from said headautomatically upon the arrival of the carton to a position directlybelow said head, said combined steam and vacuum removing said foamsubstantially instantaneously without the necessity for bringing thecartons to a stop below said head.

9. In a defoaming device for removing foam from a partially filledcarton of milk or the like, the combination comprising a defoaming head,said head including vacuum and pressure apertures together with meansfor applying vacuum and pressure respectively thereto, said pressureaperture being so positioned that the fluid from the pressure apertureis discharged downwardly 7 .into the carton toward the surface of themilk, UNITED STATES PATENTS .said vacuum aperture being positionedlaterally Number Namev Date of thepressurezaperture in the region ofresulting 1 325 991 King Dec 23 1919 upward reverse flow of the pressurefluid from 2:328:372 y Au'g. 1943 mecarton- 5 2,347,852 '-Weeden May 2,1944 2,349,780 Weinreigh et a1. May 23, 1944 EUGENE ANDRE 2,362,791Ay-ars Nov. 14, 1944 7 2,380,434 Heinle July 31, 1945 Th f u F E d th 102,398,189 Monroe Apr. 9 1946 e o owmg re erences are 0 recor in e fileof this patent: FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 136,359 SwitzerlandJan. 2, 1930

